Ohio State countdown: Bowl craziness might just be starting

10. So you think you have this all figured out? The bowl scenario is taking shape right before our eyes heading into championship weekend, right? Donít be so sure. As crazy as NCAA football has been this year ó heck, this past week ó it has the ability to get even crazier this coming weekend, depending on the outcomes of games.
9. As far as Ohio State is concerned, the Buckeyes just need to win. With few exceptions, all the number-crunching pundits who analyze the BCS as if its their job ó well, maybe it is their job ó most everyone agrees that if Ohio State defeats Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship game on Saturday, the Buckeyes will be heading to the BCS title game to face Florida State.
8. The same pundits pretty much have the Seminoles holding up their end of the bargain, too. Twenty-nine-point underdog Duke canít really pull the upset of Jimbo Fisherís íNoles in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, can it? Itís not likely. It might not even be in the realm of possibility. So if Ohio State and Florida State win, Pasadena can likely expect Ohio State and Florida State to gather there on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014.
7. What if upsets come into play this weekend? Then things will get awfully interesting, seeing who ends up where. First off, it would take something out of this world for Florida State to lose to Duke ó this isnít basketball, you know ó so we will consider the íNoles safe. But what happens if Ohio State loses to Michigan State?
6. Then the Spartans get the Rose Bowl bid, with OSU probably getting knocked down to the Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl would lose its ACC champion (Florida State) to the title game, and would gladly take OSU as an at-large over ACC runner-up Duke. Thatís a no-brainer based on both talent level and especially the national fan base the Buckeyes take with them wherever they go. Ohio State is a convention and visitors bureauís dream.
5. What happens if Missouri knocks off Auburn? Then Mizzou takes the Southeastern Conferenceís automatic Sugar Bowl bid and either Auburn or Alabama is out of a BCS bid. Remember, only two teams per major conference can play in a BCS game. So a Mizzou win over Auburn means either íBama or Auburn will go to the Cotton or Capital One Bowl with rage. Pity whoever they play if that happens.
4. Two other teams to reserve condolence cards for come Sunday might be Central Florida and Northern Illinois. The Huskies were BCS busters last year when they got clubbed by Florida State, 31-10, in the Orange Bowl. If NIU beats Bowling Green this weekend in the Mid-American Conference title game, the Huskies might be headed for the Fiesta Bowl for a potential matchup with Oklahoma State (Holiday Hammering II?). But if BG prevails, then what?
3. Central Florida is 10-1 and the top team in the American Athletic standings. It might be picked for a Sugar Bowl bid and as a three-touchdown underdog to íBama, Auburn or Missouri. But if UCF loses to 5-6 SMU ó they canít really do that, can they? ó then another list of BCS candidates comes into play.
2. In short, a lot can still happen this weekend. Things look like they are taking shape or have taken shape. If the favorites all win this weekend, the crystal ball is clear. But if upsets happen, then the bowl landscape will shift like the San Andreas Fault, with a nationwide shakeup that will make Sunday eveningís selection show more interesting than itís looking to be right now.
1. But as far as Ohio State is concerned, itís tunnel-vision time. Donít worry about the other conferences and who is going to what bowl. Scoreboard watching is over, besides the one in Lucas Oil Stadium. Win and OSU goes to the game in Pasadena it prefers.Prediction: Ohio State 31, Michigan State 27